If you have ever removed weeds from your garden, only to find they have seemingly sprung back to life with a vengeance, you aren’t alone. It doesn’t seem to matter how often you pull them, they will find their way back. That is mainly because common weeds can produce anywhere from 12,000 to as many as 117,000 seeds per plant. Those seeds often have a protective coating that prevents them from germinating immediately. A characteristic that has given way to the saying, “One year of seeding leads to seven years of weeding”. Now, I am not so sure exactly what the science is behind those numbers, but it stands to reason. Once the seeds drop into the soil, if they have a protective coating, they can be dormant for up to 40 years. However, that is only if you allow them to go to seed.
Winning a Losing Battle
I am certain that no matter what you do to try to make your garden weed-free, birds, the wind, and rain will scatter seeds and they will always be around. This doesn’t mean you should give up altogether. It may be impossible to be completely weed-free. However, you can certainly keep them at bay and make their survival difficult. All the while, as you remove the weeds from your garden, it allows water and nutrients to travel to the roots of your plants and not be robbed by rogue weeds.
Get it All
Try to pull your weeds up- roots and all. Just breaking them off on the ground won’t even slow them down. It just makes them short, while the root systems still thrive and steal all the good stuff from your plants. Pulling weeds while they are still small, makes it much easier to get the roots too before they have an opportunity to get anchored too deeply.
What Kind of Weeds?
Weeds are either harmful or beneficial. You may be asking how any weed can be beneficial. Well, they may benefit you and your health but still not have a beneficial spot in your garden, Or, they may be harmful to you and your health and your garden space. Often, what one perceives as a weed is simply a wildflower or plant just doing what it does. But, because it was not chosen for a particular space, and Mother Nature decided it should go all across your yard, now it’s a weed. A weed is just a plant in the wrong place.
There are many weeds that have been used for medicinal purposes by the Native Americans and ancient civilizations. Foraging has become quite popular. Some people go out to find weeds. Some are even planting them. If you don’t want the weeds to multiply, be sure to catch them before they go to seed. Identify your weeds. Research their uses and toxicity. You may find that the weeds are not so bad. But, even if you do, be sure to rid your space of the ones that have zero purpose in your life. That will make way for a great harvest and a sense of pride.
So, go out and tackle those weeds! Fight for your harvest! Enjoy peace of mind while you are out there quietly uprooting the enemy. And, as always…
HAPPY GARDENING!
